What started with 80 boxes of diapers on a front porch has grown into a movement serving families across Ohio. In this episode of Cosmos & Commerce, Janis Francis and Michele Cook sit down with Jo Welsh, co-founder of Bottoms Up Diaper Drive, to talk about how one simple act of love became one of the region’s most impactful nonprofit organizations.
Since 2018, Jo and her husband, Tim, have helped distribute more than six million diapers through 92 community partners across 37 Ohio counties. But behind those incredible numbers is a much bigger story about entrepreneurship, faith, marriage, leadership, volunteers and the invisible economic crisis created by diaper need. Jo shares what it really takes to grow a nonprofit from a small family project into a multi-location operation, including the difficult parts people rarely discuss: fundraising, managing employees, creating systems, protecting the mission and preparing an organization to continue without its founders.
In this conversation, we explore:
• How Bottoms Up Diaper Drive began with a 40th-anniversary request
• Why diaper need affects childcare, employment and family stability
• Growing an organization with a small staff and a powerful volunteer network
• Working with your spouse without losing your mind or your marriage
• The difference between being a big-picture visionary and an operations-minded leader
• Recruiting and retaining volunteers • Building systems and a succession plan
• Why businesses need a clear, memorable “why”
• How small acts of generosity create a much larger ripple effect
Jo also leaves listeners with one simple challenge: a donation of $25.50 can provide approximately 150 diapers and help three Ohio families.
Learn more, donate or host a diaper drive at: bottomsup.life
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